Welcome to the David Victor Vector Blog

Welcome to the David Victor Vector blog. This is blog that covers religious observances around the world international affairs and global business. This blog describes religious holidays for most major religions as well as raising issues dealing with globalization, international business ethics, cross-cultural business communication and political events affecting business in an integrated world economy. I look forward your discussion and commentary on these articles and subjects. Enjoy!

Monday, September 7, 2015

At
sunset on the night of Friday, September 29 (for 2017) and lasting
through the sunset on Saturday, September 30 is the Islamic holiday of
Ashura. Some Muslims in North America follow a different interpretation
of when the holiday starts and observe it from Saturday evening September 30 through sunset on Sunday\\October 1. This post in no way is meant to
indicate the interpretation for which of these is correct; I simply want
to make readers aware of the dates possible.

As
part of the religious observance discussions, I would like to share a
bit on the holiday with you. Because Arabic does not transliterate
consistently into other languages, Ashura is also commonly spelled as
Ashoura or Ashurah. In India, where it is a national holiday, it is often known as Moharram and in the Caribbean (especially Trinidad & Tobago and Jamaica) the holiday is called Hosay.

Sadly
this holiday has often been marked by sectarian violence. With this in
mind, I have given below a list of the many Ashura attacks since 1994.

Religious Significance

While
Ashura is celebrated by all Moslems, it is of particular importance to
Shi’ites for whom it is one of the most important holidays of the Moslem
calendar.

For most Moslems – Shi’a and Sunni alike --
Ashura is believed to be the date that Nuh (Noah in the Jewish and
Christian tradition) had his ark come to rest after the Flood. It is
also believed to be the birthday of the Moslem Prophet Ibrahim (who is
the same person as the patriarch Abraham of the Jewish and Christian
Bible). Some Moslems believe that Ashura will be
the date on which Qiyaamah (doomsday) will take place (although this
position is rejected by many others).Finally,
Ashura is widely believed to be the anniversary of the creation of the
Ka’aba, the holiest structure in Islam and the center point of the haj
to Mecca.

Husayn ibn Ali (626-680)

For Shi’a Moslems, Ashura is the anniversary of the murder of Husayn ibn Ali at the Battle of Karbala in the year 680 (61 AH in the Moslem
calendar). Husayn ibn Ali (born in 626) was the grandson of the Prophet
Mohamed and is considered by Shi’ites to have been the Third Imam and
thus the rightful successor to the Prophet. As this is one of the
centrally defining beliefs of Shi’a Islam, Shi'ites believe that (what
they view as) the martyrdom of Husayn is symbolic of the sacrifices
needed in the face of all that is unjust, oppressive or ﻿ ﻿repressive.

For
Shi’ites, Ashura is a mandatory fast day and a day for mourning. Many
Shi’ite traditions also include public gatherings of men who beat
themselves on the chest, cut their heads and similar activities to share
in the pain that Husayn ibn Ali experienced. The Ashura page on the
Holiday Year website has a selection of some (moderately graphic) images
of worshippers cutting themselves in worship at

Many Shi’ite traditions include special chants accompanied by drumbeats and stage performances reenacting the Battle of Karbala.

Most
Sunni Moslems also celebrate Ashura, although they do not usually
recognize anything to do with Husayn ibn Ali. For Sunnis, Ashura marked
the 10th day (Ashura actually means 10th in Arabic) of the Hejirah,
when Mohamed fled with his followers to Medina. He found the Jews there
(on Yom Kippur) fasting in what the Moslem tradition considered to be
in remembrance of Moses (a prophet for Islam as well as Judaism). It is
for this reason (with nothing to do with Husayn ibn Ali) that Sunnis
have an optional fast on Ahurah. It should be noted that Sunnis – while
they feel no religious importance with the death of Husayn ibn Ali --
do regard his death as a sad incident of
historical significance.

Karbala

Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala, Iraq

Karbala, Iraq (also spelled Kerbala, Kerbela and
Karbela) is the site of the Battle of Karbala. It remains a major
pilgrimage destination for Shi'ites in particular, although often
visited by other Moslems as well. In the Imam Husayn Shrine in Karbala
are the tombs not only of Husayn ibn Ali but also of the 72 martyrs of
the Battle of Karbala.

Indeed,
because of its significance, for centuries, worshippers have gone on
pilgrimage to Karbala, Iraq to the shrine of Husayn’s martyrdom there.

As
a side note, under the regime of Saddam Hussein, Ashura pilgrimages
were banned because Saddam (probably at least in part rightly)
interpreted the demonstrations at Karbala as expressions of protest
against not just tyranny in general, but as specifically against those
who considered his own rule tyrannical. Only in 2004, with the fall of
Saddam Hussein, were Shi’ites allowed again to make the pilgrimage to
Karbala. Sadly, 2004’s pilgrimage was marred by widespread violence
including bomb attacks among the pilgrims which killed 170 people and
wounded over 500 others.

History of Violence

Rawalpindi Ashura Attack, 2013

Because of tensions between Shi’ites and Sunni
Moslems, Ashura has sadly been marked by violence between the two groups
in recent years.

Ashura last year in 2016 was no exception. Gunmen opened fire on worshippers at a Shia shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attack left 14 dead and over 40 injured.

The previous year, 2015, was similarly marred by deadly attacks on worshippers. In Pakistan, there were two major attacks. In Jacobabad, a suicide bomber killed 23 (including 10 children) and injured 40 at a Shia worship procession. In Saihat, Saudi Arabia, an Islamic State gunman attacked Shia worshippers proclaiming their mosque an "infidel temple" and killing five and injuring nine others. In Dezful, Iran, drive-by gunmen shot into a crowded Shia Ashura ceremony, killing two worshipers. This was particularly unusual as Iran is a majority Shia country. Meanwhile, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, three bombs were detonated among a crowd of Shia worshipers, killing one and injuring 80. In Dakosoye, 20 miles outside of Nigeria's capital Kano, Boko Haram suicide bombers killed 21 Shias as the walked in a worship procession. In Shaab, Iraq, a suicide bomber claiming allegiance to Islamic State injured 23 Shia worshippers (IS claimed 20 were killed but there was no evidence for that).

In 2014, attacks took place in Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Nigeria. Armed with machine guns in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, gunmen killed five Shia worshippers and injured nine more. The event was captured on video and had widespread distribution on social media. In Baghdad, Iraq multiple attacks took place including a truck bomb at a checkpoint killing 20 and injuring 53, and a bomb hidden at a refreshment tent for Shia worshippers which killed four more people. The following day, multiple car bombs went off in Baghdad at Shia hospitality tents for Ashura worshippers in the Sadoun, Saidiyah and Sadr City neighborhoods, together killing 28 and injuring 67. In Potiskum, Nigeria, a Boko Haram suicide bomber killed 27 and injured 80 others as they worshipped at a Shia Ashura service.

Similarly, in 2013, several attacks including a suicide bombing left 41
worshippers dead in Karbala, Iraq. At the same time, a suicide bomber in
Diyala Province, Iraq left 32 dead and 96injured. In Pakistan a Sunni
mob attacked a Shi'ite procession in Rawalpindi, Pakistan leaving 10
dead and 80 injured.

In recent years, in 2012, a bomb
attack on a Shi'ite procession in Dera Ismail Khan in Northwest
Pakistan left seven people dead (including three children) and over 30
injured. On Ashura, 2011, in two separate attacks in Afghanistan and one
in Iraq, Shi'ites were targetted. In an unusual targeting of Shi'ites
in Afghanistan, 63 people were killed and over 100 injured in separate
attacks in Kabul and the normally peaceful Mazar-i-Sharif. Meanwhile in Iraq, in Hilla, two car
bombs targeted Shi'ites. Hilla is a city on the pilgrimage route to
Karbala. The first hit a crowd of mostly women and children killing 16
and injuring 46; the second (involving two coordinated bomb explosions)
killed at least six more and wounded 18. Seven additional bombs were
set off among Shi'ites in three separate locations in Baghdad killing at
least 8 and injuring 18 more. Finally, a gunman on the outskirts of
Baghdad opened fire on Shi'ites marching in a procession toward Karbala,
killing two and wounding four.

2009, Karachi, Pakistan – Procession bombing, 43 killed,
60 injured; additionally, police arrested five terrorists as they
thwarted a plot to hand out cyanide-laced water to Shi’ite pilgrims in
the procession

For 2017, from
sunset Wednesday October 4 through sunset on Friday October 13 is
a string of Jewish holidays including Sukkot, Shimini Atzeret and
Simchat Torah.

Sukkot, the Festival of Booths or Tabernacles, is a major holiday in Judaism, celebrating the harvest.

The
major festival days of Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah come at the
close of the festival (although technically they are separate holidays).

WHAT DATES ARE AFFECTED? THE QUICK VERSION

Jews
of all denominations who observe the holiday spend the first morning of
Sukkot at synagogue or temple services. Orthodox and Conservative
Jews outside of Israel also spend the second morning in religious
services.

Jews
of all denomination may also attend services on Hoshanah Rabbah,
Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Many Jews of all denominations
(especially those with children) may also attend celebrations and
services at the synagogue or temple on the eve of Simchat Torah.

For
general purposes, we can view the week as having major celebrations at
the beginning and end of the festival period. The breakdown for all of
these dates is a bit complicated, so I have set these down in bullet
points the days on which the different holidays fall in 2014 as follows:

ØSukkot: Sunset Wednesday October 4 continuing through sunset on Wednesday October 11. NOTE: The
first day is observed fully by many Jews of all denominations and the
first two days by Orthodox and Conservative Jews as a major holiday

ØHoshanah Rabah: Sunset Tuesday, October 10 continuing through sunset on Wednesday, October 11 (technically, the last day of Sukkot)

ØShemini Atzeret: Sunset Wednesday, October 11, through sunset on Thursday, October 12. NOTE: Since
this is one of the four times of years for formally remembering the
dead who have passed away, this holiday may carry strong significance to
those who have lost loved ones.

ØSimchat Torah: Sunset Thursday October 12 through sunset on Friday, October 13. This
is a major celebration for many Jews, and seen as an important holiday by most Orthodox
and many Conservative and Reform Jews.

Because
the holiday of Sukkot continues for 8 days, throughout the week of
Sukkot, evenings are often spent visiting the booths in other people’s
houses. For planning purposes for those trying to accommodate employees
or students, this should not interfere with evening schedules during the
week, but might affect them on the key holidays noted below.

One
should be careful not to assume that because one Jewish student or
employee is not observing the holiday that this is the same with all of
Jewish students and employees. While levels of observance vary on an
individual basis, the fact that some Jews may not attend services does
not diminish its importance as a holiday to those Jews who do observe
the holiday.

For a more comprehensive discussion of the variations in practice see the “A More In-Depth Explanation” below.

A NOTE ON PRONOUNCIATION

There
are several names for the holiday, which may be a bit confusing. In
Sephardic Hebrew, Sukkot is pronounced “sue-COAT.” In Ashkenazic Hebrew,
it is pronounced “sue-KOSE” (to rhyme with “two dose”). In Yiddish, the
holiday is called Sukkos (to rhyme with “book us.”

The
spelling may also vary as the words are in Hebrew letters rather than
Roman ones. Thus, some people may spell the same holiday Succot, Succos
or Sukkes.

WHAT IS SUKKOT?

Sukkot is the Jewish Festival of Booths (or Tabernacles). The Bible indicates that Jews should dwell in booths during Sukkot:

“You will dwell in booths for seven days; all natives of Israel shall dwell in booths.”Leviticus 23:42

This
practice is meant to recall the “sukkot” (Hebrew for temporary shelters
or booths; singular “sukkah”) that the Israelites used during the
Exodus from Egypt during their wandering in the desert on their way to the Land of Israel.

This is one of the three major pilgrimage festivals of Judaism (when in the days of the Temple, Jews were required to make pilgrimage to Jerusalem). The holiday is especially closely associated with the Temple in Jerusalem as King Solomon dedicated the Temple on Sukkot.

Traditionally,
Jews build their own sukkah outside their homes, temples and
synagogues. The sukkah must be a non-permanent structure (so that it is a
“temporary shelter”) and must have four walls at least part of which
must include “schach” (plant material grown from the ground, such as
branches, corn stalks, etc. with the requirement that the material not
smell bad). It is also very common to decorate the sukkah (often with
children’s artwork). Jews then spend all or part of their days in their
Sukkot, and eat all or some of their meals in them.

Sukkot
is a very festive and happy holiday, unlike the somber nature of the
Jewish High Holidays which precede it. The holiday is a time for
visiting friends in each other’s Sukkot, and many congregations have
“sukkah hops” where people go from one sukkah to another over the course
of one or more evenings during the holiday week.

At
religious services in the synagogue or temple, Jews hold daily
processions called “Hoshanot” in which they recite prayers for a good
harvest while ritually shaking a lulav and etrog which
make up the “four species” of plants. The lulav is comprised of three of
these four plants: one palm branch, two willow branches and three
myrtle branches that are bond together. The etrog is a specific type of
yellow citrus fruit (Citrus medica) often called in English a citron. In Ashkenazic Hebrew, the fruit is called an esrog and in Yiddish, an esrig.
Not all of these fruits are of equal value, and a perfect etrog is
something many Jews highly value. There are many specifications on the
nature of what is and is not a kosher etrog, and among those what does
and does not constitute a perfect etrog. The use of the four species has
a symbolic meaning as a way to rejoice in the harvest. The specific
species themselves are symbolic of the whole person carrying them: the
palm represents the spine;the
myrtle, the eyes (they have eye-shaped leaves), the willow the mouth
(its leaves are thought to be mouth-shaped), and the etrog, the heart.

Variations on these basic customs exist from country to country among Jews. For example, Moroccan Jews often decorate their lulav
with silk ribbons and a bell. Moroccan Jews traditional also have an
empty chair in the sukkah for Elijah the prophet (who is supposed to
announce the coming of the Messiah).

For a more comprehensive discussion of the variations in practice see the “A More In-Depth Explanation” below.

WHAT IS HOSHANAH RABAH

The seventh day of Sukkot is called Hoshanah Rabah (literally, the “Great Hosannah”).This
last day of Sukkot has special prayers with a procession around the
synagogue or temple that circles seven times followed by the beating of
the willow branches of the lulav on the ground. Because of the special
prayers, some Jews who may not have attended services on the interim
days of Sukkot may attend on Hoshanah Rabah.

WHAT IS SHEMINI ATZERET?

The
day immediately following Hoshanah Rabah is a separate holiday called
Shemini Atzeret (or Shemini Atzeres). This is the eighth day of Sukkot
and the Shemini Atzeret actually means “eighth day of assembly). On this
day, people leave their sukkot and eat in their houses again. This
holiday also includes the prayer for rain Tefillat Geshrem. One of the
four annual Yizkor services said by Jews to remember the dead are also
said on Shemini Atzeret.

WHAT IS SIMCHAT TORAH?

Literally
meaning “rejoicing in the Torah,” Simchat Torah is one of the most
joyous celebrations in Judaism. Traditionally, Jews read the first five
books of the Bible (the Torah) from beginning to end in portions
throughout the year.This is the day that the end of the Torah is read and the beginning of the Torah is begun again.It is a day of festive singing and dancing to honor the Torah.

Simchat
Torah is celebrated with having as many people reading sentences from
the end and beginning of the Torah scrolls and with singing and dancing
with the Torah scrolls. In many cities, the celebrations are carried on
with dancing and singing in the streets while holding the Torah scrolls.

In
Israel itself, Simchat Torah is combined with Shimeni Atzeret on the
same day. Outside of Israel, the two holidays are celebrated separately
one after the other.

THE MORE IN-DEPTH VERSION

In
response to feedback from earlier holiday messages, I was asked to
share that for all Jewish holidays, observance among the main Jewish
religious movements varies both in level of practice and in
interpretation of how long the main observance opening part of the
holiday lasts. Generally speaking, though, the first day of Sukkot is a
major festival day for all Jewish movements. I want to emphasize that,
as with all of these religious postings and regardless of the religion
involved, I am not passing judgment or suggesting as either correct or
incorrect any practice of observance. The purpose of these religious
observance posts is simply to give a bit of general background on our
religiously diverse campus and to inform those who may not be aware of
them so that can accommodate faculty, staff and students who wish to
observe them.

Regarding
the differing stances for Sukkot, I will try to summarize some (though
not all) of the major differences in observance.

For
Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews, the first two days of Sukkot are
observed as one long day (as with Rosh HaShanah). For most (although not
all) Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, there is no "long day" so that
the first day lasts one day only. This long day does not apply to those
celebrating the holiday in the land of Israel. In Israel, only one day
is observed in place of the long day, regardless of denomination.

For
Orthodox Jews and many Conservative Jews, no manner of work can be done
on the holiday.It should be noted that within the Orthodox community,
length and manner of observance is not seen as a point of personal
interpretation. For most Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, length and
manner of observance, by contrast, may reflect personal interpretation.
For many Conservative Jews, the length and manner of observance
similarly are not seen as subject to individual interpretation, but
considerable allowance is made for the actual (vs. the ideal) practice
of observance.

Most
Orthodox and Conservative and some Reform and Reconstructionist Jews
build their own personal sukkah by their home. Some Orthodox Jews
interpret the commandment to dwell in booths literally and may actually
spend all or much of the week in their sukkah, even sleeping in them(barring inclement weather).Many other Jews who build their own sukkot have one or more of their family meals there and spend as much time in them.

It
should be noted that many Reform and Reconstructionist Jews do not
build their own sukkot, instead using the sukkah build at their temple
or synagogue. This is the case too for Jews of all religious streams who
can not build a sukkah where they live for one reason or another. At
many college campuses, for example, the local Hillel Jewish Student
Association builds a sukkah for students living on campus.

SUKKOT RECIPES

Sukkot
centers on eating something within the sukkah itself. As a result,
several traditions have developed around special Sukkot meals.

Sukkot
is a harvest festival. As a result, the foods eaten often reflect
fruits and vegetables of some sort to symbolize the harvest. In
particular, stuffed vegetables or main dishes and desserts made with
fruit are common for the holiday.

Holishkes

Among the most common dishes of Eastern European origin are holishkes or meat-stuffed pepper. Holishkes are appropriate for two reasons. First, they make use of harvest vegetables. Second, when two holishkes are placed side by side, they look like the Torah scroll. A recipe for holishkes can be found on the Eastern European About.com site at

Among Turkish Jews, it is customary to eat bourekas,
or oil-crisped pastry pockets stuffed with harvest vegetables. A
particularly common version for Sukkot are borekas stuffed with
sweetened squash or bourekas can be found on the Jewish Recipe Trader site at
pumpkin. One recipe for pumpkin-stuffed

Among Syrian Jews, the etrog is made into jam. Many Jews of Syrian origin
still maintain this custom even after persecution and expulsion in the
latter half of the 20th Century. Sadly, of the roughly 200,000 Jews who
lived in Syria for 500 years from the time of the Spanish expulsion
(1492) until the founding of the State of Israel (1948), only an
estimated 80 Jews remain in Syria. Still, the thriving Syrian Jewish
communities of New York (80,000), Israel (70,000) and Panama (10,000)
carry on the customs of this venerable Jewish community. Indeed, within
Israel, the use of etrog jam is becoming common throughout the country for many non-Syrian Jews as well. A recipe for etrog jam can be found at

A
common Sukkot dessert among Jews is apple cake as the apples represent
the harvest. In fact, eating apples themselves is also fairly common.
One recipe for a traditional Sukkot apple cake can be found on the
Kosher Food About.com site at

As with all of the religious
summaries provided in thes posts, I do not intend to indicate what is or is not
a proper way to observe this or any other holiday. The intention here is merely
to be superficially informative.

For
several years now, I have posted as a reference overviews for many of
the religious observances for Bahai'ism, Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, neo-Paganism, Sikhism and Wicca. This is
intended to allow those teaching or otherwise following a semester
academic calendar to accommodate students, faculty and staff who wish
to observe them.As Fall Semester starts again, we are now
coming upon the start of the cycle of holidays once more. For many of
these holidays (those from religions that follow calendars that differ
from the Gregorian calendar), the dates in the secular year will differ
but the main content of the posts should not.

To
that end, I would like to give the dates for the holidays in the next
few months paralleling the Fall semester in most US universities (I am,
after all, a professor in the United States).

I have
noted only holidays to which I have already written a post. These are
those holidays that I would argue are the most important holidays within
their religion. Admittedly, there are others which may be of strong
importance to those who observe them. Thus, I have not included, for
example, the Christian holiday of Advent Sunday on December 1. This
does not, however, mean that such holidays are unimportant to those who
wish to observe them, which should be kept in mind for religious
accommodation purposes.

Similarly, I have left out some
holidays that are regionally of importance within a religion but not of
such significance beyond the regional context.. For example, I have
left out the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12) which is
primarily observed among Mexican Catholics. Likewise excluded is Bathukamma
(this year on September 19) which is primarily observed among Hindus from Telangana state in India.

Note also that observance
varies according to practice. For example, Reform and Reconstructionist
Jews may observe a holiday for one day that Orthodox and Conservative
Jews observe for two days. Some streams of Hinduism may observe Diwali
for five full days, while others may do so for one, two or three days.
While all Muslims recognize Ashurah as a holiday, it holds much greater
significance in Shi'a tradition than in most other branches of Islam.
Because of this, two people of the same faith may observe the same
holiday for different lengths. These are explained for each holiday in
the connected blog post. The main point here, though, is that we should
recognize such differences in practice as legitimate.

FALL 2015 RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS

The
list below gives the date for 2015, the name of the holiday, the main
religion observing the holiday and the previous David Victor Vector post
on that holiday.While the dates on the links may be from an earlier
year, most of these are regularly updated, and all are corrected for the
date when it changes.

September 13 sunset through either September 14 sunset (for most Reform and Reconstructionist Jews) or September 15 (for Conservative and Orthodox Jews)

Before
I go on, I should note that all holidays in Islam begin with the actual
sighting of the moon. Therefore, the dates given for Eid al-Adha and
Ashura are the likely dates for the holiday depending on the sighting
conditions. Some debate exists regarding where the moon sighting should
occur (e.g., locally or in Mecca). This may also cause observance to
fall on a day before or after that indicated in this list. The date
given here does not intend to suggest that one or the other
interpretation is correct; this date is merely intended to be
information for the date most widely observed in North America.

In all likelihood, I have overlooked a holiday or observance. Please feel free to share this with me.

While
the links to many of the holidays above were posted in earlier years,
they are regularly updated as the holiday approaches for this year. The
dates in this post are (to the best of my knowledge) correct for 2015.

Finally,
I would like to ask you to spread the word about this blog. If you are
not formally a follower, please do add your name to the list through
your Google, Twitter, AIM, Netlog or Yahoo account.

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About Me

David A. Victor, Ph.D. is a business professor, author and consultant. He is Director of International Business Programs at the Eastern Michigan University College of Business where he is also a tenured Full Professor of Management. He teaches courses in business communication, business ethics, international business ethics, international business, and international management. Dr Victor’s book International Business Communication (Harper Collins, 1992) was the first book published on the subject in the United States. Dr. Victor is also a business consultant and co-founder of the non-profit organization One Village One World.

More About David Victor's Academic Experience

I teach at the Eastern Michigan University College of Business I am also editor of the Global Advances in Business Communication. http://commons.emich.edu/gabc/

Among other subjects, I teach Managing World Business Communication, Fundamentals of Global Business, international business ethics, international business, Business Ethics/CSR, and International Management as well as a series of "Doing Business In..." seminars for business in specific countries and regions. My course at EMU in Managing World Business Communication first designed and taught nearly 20 years ago was among the first regularly taught on cross-cultural business communication in an AACSB-accredited school.

From 1996-1997, I was President of the Association for Business Communication and helped to establish the European and the Asia/Pacific regions of that organization. In 2010, I was honored to have won the Meada Gibbs Outstanding Teaching Award, an international prize given by the Association for Business Communication. Over the years, I have received 6 grants from a variety of sources including the US Department of Education and the Federal Government of Canada. .

In 1992, I was the first recipient of the Distinguished Visiting Foreign Professorship (Graduate Level) of the InstitutoTecnologico y EstudiosSuperiores de Monterrey. I was also a Visiting Professor at the University of Antwerp in Belgium in 2008 and at the Universidade do Caxias do Sul in Brazil in 2010. I also hold classes for Saint Mary's of California's TransGlobal Executive MBA students.

About David Victor’s Consulting Experience

I have consulted since the mid-1980’s, mostly in the area of international business communication, expatriate relocation and diversity management for a range of clients including school systems, hospital networks and city and state governments as well as a wide range of companies working domestically in the United States as well as in Canada, Mexico, East Asia and Europe. I have consulted and run programs for over 150 companies and organizations, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to the state governments of Idaho, Iowa and Michigan, the American Bar Association and the US Army as well as several city governments and health systems in the US and abroad.